<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Talon and the Rose by snapdragon76</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871050">Talon and the Rose</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapdragon76/pseuds/snapdragon76'>snapdragon76</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Nightwing (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkward Encounter, Clone Dick Grayson, Court of Owls, Dick has a clone, F/M, Sleeping Naked, Talon - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:34:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>725</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapdragon76/pseuds/snapdragon76</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick stumbles upon a new relationship between his clone 'brother' and someone new.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon (mentioned)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Talon and the Rose</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>OK, so. This was originally just a writing project, and then I figured I'd go ahead and post it for the hell of it. </p>
<p>In this AU, Dick has a clone named Richie, who the Court of Owls created when they couldn't get their claws into Dick. Richie was created with samples of Dick's DNA and trained as a ruthless Talon assassin. He has a character profile <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jPcmlapqB95xgGx-uwVCzPckfFdu_VNCpWDvR47T01I/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dick comes over one day, unlocking the door since he’s Richie’s landlord, needing to borrow something.</p>
<p>“Hey, buddy!! I just came over to borrow a screwdriver! One of my cabinet doors is all cockeyed, and it needs to be fixed, and my tools have gone missing. Won’t take a minute!”</p>
<p>He hears scrambling coming from the bedroom and whispers. Richie comes out, clad only in a pair of low slung joggers, his hair disheveled and covered in scratches and bruises.</p>
<p>Dick glances over. “Sorry, man. Didn’t mean to wake you…”</p>
<p>He pauses and looks Richie over, noticing his bruises and scratches and the general disarray of his hair. He knows Richie sleeps naked, so the state of his clothing (or relative lack thereof) is not what piques his interest.</p>
<p>“Did you get into a fight last night?” Dick asks.</p>
<p>“Uhhhh, no,” Richie responds, turning red.</p>
<p>Dick narrows his eyes. Those marks are definitely not from a fight. He should know. He’s gotten some like that before. A shit-eating grin breaks out over his face.</p>
<p>“Dude, do you have a girl over?!” he says, his face lighting up. “You lucky dog! Was it someone you met while bartending at the club?”</p>
<p>“Dear God…” Richie sighs.</p>
<p>Dick’s attention is soon drawn to the figure standing in the doorway of Richie’s bedroom, clad only in one of his band shirts, which envelops her small frame. Richie is relatively lean, so this girl is pretty tiny. </p>
<p>“Oh, hello! Sorry to wake you,” Dick says, smiling at her. She is adorable, he thinks. She’s petite, barely over five feet if he took a guess. Soft brown hair that reaches her shoulders and hazel eyes. She has a heart-shaped face and is quite lean and muscular.</p>
<p>He walks over to her and sticks a hand out.</p>
<p>“I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Dick, Richie’s brother.”</p>
<p>She smiles. Oh yes, she’s charming, Dick thinks to himself. Lucky Richie.</p>
<p>She takes his hand. “I’m Rose,” she says in a light voice. For someone so small, her grip is firm. Quite strong.</p>
<p>“Rose! What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl,” Dick replies. He glances over at Richie, who is shifting back and forth on his feet awkwardly. </p>
<p>“So, how do you know Richie?” Dick asks, a twinkle in his cerulean eyes.</p>
<p>“We used to work together,” Rose replies.</p>
<p>Dick pauses. Work together? Richie never had a job before he left the Court. Unless…</p>
<p>“Richie, care to explain?”</p>
<p>Richie sighs. </p>
<p>“Yes, Dick. She was a Talon, like me. She escaped, and now she’s here. She’s staying with me because she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”</p>
<p>Dick purses his lips. </p>
<p>“Are you sure it’s safe? I mean, they’re still on the lookout for you, and for me as well. If she’s here, then that means it’s another person they’re looking for,” he tells Richie in hushed tones.</p>
<p>“I know, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just leave her out on the street! We kinda became friends when we were still Talons.”</p>
<p>Dick raised his eyebrows and looked back and forth between Richie and Rose… and their state of undress.</p>
<p>“Friends, you say? Did you sleep together when you were Talons as well, or is that a recent development?”</p>
<p>Richie ran a hand over his face. </p>
<p>“The Talons don’t exactly encourage fraternization amongst themselves if you know what I mean. The only emotion they want you to have is a blood lust. Other… lust is discouraged. So we didn’t do anything,” Richie explained.</p>
<p>Something occurs to Dick.</p>
<p>“Wait, so were you two virgins?”</p>
<p>Richie groans and sits on the sofa with his head in his hands.</p>
<p>“Yes?” Rose answers.</p>
<p>Richie’s head bolts upright, and he turns to Rose.</p>
<p>“Rose!” he hisses out.</p>
<p>Dick chuckles despite himself.</p>
<p>“Oh, my God. You two are too precious for words.”</p>
<p>Another groan from Richie.</p>
<p>Dick smirks, “Well, I won’t be keeping you two lovebirds any longer! The cabinet door can wait. Just try to keep it down a little. I am right next door, you know.”</p>
<p>Richie glares at Dick.</p>
<p>Dick heads to the door. “I’ll see you later, brother! Lovely to meet you, Rose.”</p>
<p>After he leaves, he can’t help but feel a twinge of pride. </p>
<p>“Well, well. Richie has a girlfriend. Good for him. I think I’ll go and see what Babs is doing.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>